Tales of Pirates, Green-Eyes and Butterbeer
by soundofthefey
Summary: AU-Captain James Potter has it all; fame, good-looks and a loyal crew of butterbeer drinking mates. But James' life changes when a young noblewoman stows away on his ship. Who is this woman and who is she running from? Jily/SiriusxOC/RemusxUndecided
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**I do not own Harry Potter or its characters. If I did...well...I think I'd be rolling around in money right now. ;)**

...water...surrounded by open water...Lily was having the dream again...

The wind whipped her hair from her face...she was on the edge of a huge ship, about one step from the edge...one small step away from death...one step...

She felt something small clasped tightly in her hand...but she couldn't see it...she couldn't tear her eyes away from the horrible man in front of her...

His face...his face was all she could look at...all she could stare at...skin so pale and stretched it was more like a skull...with blue spidery veins about to pop...he was screaming...

Screaming for something...his voice was muffled...so very muffled...she felt herself smile...why was she smiling?...She murmered something inaudible which was met with an ear-piercing scream...for some reason, she felt an euphoric rush hearing him shriek...

One last fleeting thought...no more time left...she felt her foot move back from the ledge...it was an odd solace...

...and then she fell...hearing a scream that was not her own...feeling herself hit the water, sinking like a stone...feeling her breath leave her...

A flash of green... and then she was...

"Mi'lady? Mi'lady!"

Lady Lily Mudblood groggily opened her eyes from yet another bad dream.'Third one this week,' she thought as her eyes fixed on her handmaid, Jane Evans, opening her curtains.

"Mi'lady, the sun's up-time to awaken!" Jane said brightly. "Tis' a big day today!"

Lily groaned and threw herself out of bed with a loud thump; she really hated getting up early. "Miss Evans, whatever _are_ you talking about? I don't understand-I don't recall having any major events today," Lily inquired, heaving herself from the floor.

Jane giggled. "Why Mi'lady-today is the launch of _the Silver Doe_'s maiden voyage!" Jane squealed and danced on the spot, as Lily froze.

'Oh God no,' Lily thought. She had to ask Jane. She really had to.

"Ah, will Severus be there?" Lily asked 'casually', trying with all her heart to hide any traces of revolt from her voice.

"_Master Snape _will of course be there," Jane corrected, not noticing Lily's feeble attempt to cover up her disgust. "Now, let's get you all dressed up; we want you looking like a lady rather than the rowdy hooligan you act like! Now, now-don't rule your pretty green eyes with a frown!"

Lily scowled, standing completely still as Jane painfully tightened a corset around her waist. She felt her eyes begin to water as the pain increased ten-fold, which was not helped by Jane's constant, useless chattering.

"T'will be nice to see Master Snape again, won't it Mi'lady? What has it been-three years now? Goodness, how time flies!" Lily grited her teeth together, as Jane rambled on. "I hear he's a captain of his own ship-imagine, his_ very own ship_! How incredible! And he has _so_ many other qualities. I mean he's so..." Jane stopped and actually looked puzzled over Snape's lack of good qualities. Lily wondered how she could she have time to breath while she talked; it was like her mouth had a mind of its own. "Well, he's so...so...I mean...well yes...and he's filthy rich too!"

Lily grimanced. Trust Jane to think money is more important than any other quality-just like Lily's father. She, however, hated nothing more than the 'dignified' and 'glorified' Captain Severus Snape. Arogant, stubborn and spiteful-he was everything she scorned and more. It really was a shame that her father thought he was the 'pride of this country's young populance."

It really was a tragedy that her father was a complete fool.

"It gives me great pleasure to represent the Ministry in wishing Captain Severus Snape of _the Silver Doe _many good wishes on his maiden voyage. Bon voyage!"

The crowd went wild as Captain Snape, a well-known, greasy haired officer of the Royal Shipping Ministry, rose to the podium, bowing and flashing a fake smile.

Lily stood at the back of the crowd, away from her family and, as a result, away from Snape. Her face was twisted with contempt and amusement as Snape, with sincerity, proclaimed what an honour it was, blah,blah,blah.

"Not a very nice bloke he is, is he now?"

Lily whirled around to find an old man staring at Snape, with a face masked with amusement. At first, she thought he was talking to himself-maybe he was one of the mad men from the workhouses down the street-but then he turned and studied her face.

"Ice is drawn to fire; fire to darkness; darkness to silence, is it not?"*

The man had a long, greying beard and bright blue eyes covered with half-moon specticales. He was dressed head to toe with a cloak and a large hat fitted to his head; on top of that, he looked absolutely impossible to age-he could have been fifty or a hundred. The man was like something out of Lily's adventure books; like a wise old wizard who would give advice and hard-earned lessons to the reluctant hero and would help them on their perilous journey.

One question burned brighter in Lily's mind then any other:

"Why are you wearing a cloak? It's the hottest day of the year."

The man grinned. "To hid all my secrets, of course, my dear." Simply delighted that he had bamboozled her yet again, he moved closer and for a split second, Lily forgot the obnoxious Severus Snape and her annoyingly tight and flouncy dress. He came so close that she could almost smell the alcohol reeking in his breath. One word came to her mind.

Pirate.

She shook herself mentally. Pirates were too scared to come into these parts.

He came up to her so that their noses were almost touching. "We don't want those Death Eaters to get inside m'head and turn it into butterbeer, now do we?" He stared at her for a moment, then lowered his voice and said: "Do you crave a bit of exciement, m'dear?"

Lily was frozen; she didn't know what to say. Then she felt her head nod up and down, almost involuntarily.

He smiled, showing off yellowing, rotten teeth. "T'was hoping you'd say that, Miss." He took her hand and held out her palm to the sky, lowering a green jewelled necklace into her hand. "T' is the Nagini jewel; t' is very precious to me, but also to some very malevolent men. Take care of it, Lily. And forget you ever saw me. For now." He turned to leave, then spun back on his heel. "Oh and remember; never trust a man with a turban."

And with that, the blue eyed man whirled around and walked away,whistling to himself, leaving Lily gobsmacked and with a very expensive gift in her hand. Then it hit her.

"How did you know my name? Hey you! SIR!"

"Lily why are you calling after that beggar scum? You're better than that."

Lily scowled at the stench of grease and sour milk. She did not need to turn around to know who it was.

"That is my private business, Severus, so stop sticking your nose into it," she stated calmly, as she hid the necklace in her dress pocket and proceeded to walk away, when Snape grabbed her hand.

"If I may be so bold, Mi'lady; could I escort you to the deck?"

With reluctance, Lily followed Snape onto _the Silver Doe _and its deck. Snape looked nervous; his usually controlled face was beaded with sweat and he kept wiping his hands on his uniform. Lily let her mind wander and think of more important things-such as the heavy green jewel in her pocket-as Snape began a speech.

"Lily; I've been wanting to ask you something for a long time now, but the timing never seemed right. You see, I've been thinking..."

Lily couldn't resist: "It's about time you used that thing on the top of your neck. It's called a head, remember?"

Snape ignored the jibe and continued. "...well, we've been friends for a long while now, right?"

"Friends is not the word I would use Severus..."

"Me too, Lily..." Snape mumbled, blushing a deep red.

"...you're more like an annoying little dog that follows me places," Lily finished, not hearing Snape. Her dress was really annoying her now; it kept tripping her up as she paced along the deck.

Snape turned a more violent shade of red. "So I guess you're still mad about the Triwizard festival then," Snape said, phrasing it more like a statement then a question.

"OF COURSE I'M MAD SEVERUS! You had no right to make fun of me-you or your silly little friends," Lily exploded, turning to face Snape. "You have no respect for me whatsoever! Is that how you treat your friends?"

"Lily, you don't understand," Snape pleaded, hating her fiery nature at that moment. "Mulciber and Avery have more influence in the Ministry; they're men and your just a wo..."

A loud, painful slap struck Severus across the face, cutting him off mid-sentence. He looked at Lily with an extremely hurt expression, while Lily looked enraged. "How dare you talk to me like I am nothing, Severus Snape. I may be a woman, but I am a Lady, and your superior. The title demands respect, as do I, which you have not given me and probably never will," Lily seethed, barely containing her composure. "Good day to you, _sir_."

Lily began to stomp away, when Snape grabbed her hand.

"Lily...wait..."

He desperately and roughly pulled her back and Lily found herself tripping over her overly fancy dress. With a strangled cry, she flew backwards over the edge of the ship, not feeling the comfort or the rush she had felt in her dream. But she did hear Severus scream her name as she plunged into the dark, murky water below.

As soon as she hit the water, her dress began to drag her down; like it weighed an extra twenty pounds. She tried to claw her way back to the surface, but failed as the seawater engulfed her.

Water began to fill her lungs as she struggled weakily against the current and soon her muscles surrendered to the mercilous tide. The last thing she felt was a pulse of malevolent energy bellowed out from her pocket as she let the water spirit her away...

Albus Dumbledore was walking through a market in the bustling town of Holyhead, looking for knitting needles and lemons when he remembered something vitally important.

"Oh Acid Pops! I forgot to tell her to never get it wet!" He began to grin madly, as if suddenly getting a million new thoughts at once. "Hmmm...this could be interesting... I wonder where that dashing boy is now..."

*-I have no idea what this saying is from or who it belongs to. I heard my friend saying it and...it sounded really cool.

**R&R ! **

**Ashx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Hey thanks for the reviews and follows! Special thanks to Hoffan(you may be right about Will...), Guest, ABprongslett and to the amazing ThePhoneixAndTheMockingjay for the reviews! Don't forget to R&R.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own HP or its characters; otherwise I would never of killed off Fred.**

Five minutes.

Albus Dumbledore waited patiently outside the bustling Hog's Head, the local tavern in the town of Holyhead. Night had fallen a few hours ago and even after the tramatic events that occurred earlier, the street was silent.

Four minutes.

The Hog's Head was a magnet for "colourful" characters, druggies and , of course, "adventurers"- also known as pirates. It was one of the dirtiest, most despicable places in town, besides the harbour. There was always one place in a town like this; one place that would drag down the image of a well-respected metropolis. Scorned upon by the aristocrats, it thrived due to the amount of shady "businessmen" it attracted.

Three minutes.

Dumbledore wondered if his vision was accurate; but the future was as changeable as his favourite sweets- today, it was lemon drops. One move and _his _course will be altered.

Two minutes.

The silence was broken by the sound of screaming and smashing of glass- he now knew his vision was precise.

Dumbledore heard a girl yelling gibberish, some excessive giggling and some more glass shattering. He wondered what kind of rascality they were getting up to now.

One minute.

More yelling and then, finally, the door of the tavern opened and the bartender threw a completely naked man out into the street.

"And stay out, you disgusting piece of filth!"

Dumbledore grinned and rushed over to the man, covering him up with his cloak. "_I knew this would come in handy,"_ he thought.

The man opened his eyes and shook his long, raggedy black hair. "Dumbley-dorre! The power of our Lord is within!"

Letting the cloak slowly slid away, he began rolling around on the ground, muttering unearthly chants and off-key lyrics to old Gaelic songs:

"_From Bantry Bay up to Derry 'Key_

_From Galway to Dublin toooowwn,_

_No maid I've seen's like the sweet cailin* _

_That I met in the County Dowwwwwn!"_

Dumbledore sighed good-naturely. "Sirius Black, you're drunk _again_."

Sirius stood up, letting the cloak entirely slip away and put his hands on his hips. "Ain't I always, my special bumbling Bumblebee! It isn't my fault though! My fatherrrr sent my brotherrr off to be a rich doctor, while I was forced to enterrr..."

"...a religious order to calm your wild ways," Dumbledore finished, wrestling him unsuccessfully to pu on the cloak. "Y'told me before, Sirius. And put on some clothes!"

"That's Padfoot to you, Misterrr!" Sirius protested. "And...I lost them."

"How did you...y'know what, never mind," Dumbledore began then gave up. "Where is James?"

"Oh, you mean where's Rrremus? Gooood ooold Mooooony!" Sirius slurred, ignoring the question. "He's at the library or something God awful like that. Rrresearrch orr something...I really don't listen..."

Sirius suddenly staggered towards the alley beside the Hog's Head and proceeded to vomit violently into the gutter. One word came to Dumbledore's mind:

Dignified.

Once he was finished, Dumbledore tried again. "Sirius, where is James Potter? Y'know, about this high?" He gestured a height with his hand, stretching well over his and Sirius's heads. "Arrogant, good with a sword? Devilishly handsome?"

Sirius tried to look at him but his eyes were unfocused. "Y'know what? I haven't seen him since the lizard bit my..."

I DON'T WANT TO KNOW!" Dumbledore yelled and then sighed. "Were all the main Marauders with you?"

"Yeah, I've mentioned them all, haven't I?"

"Sirius aren't you forgetting someone?"

Sirius scowled, his eyes still unfocused. "I mentioned Moony, didn't I?"

"No Sirius," Dumbledore sighed. He'd seen Sirius's wild nights out and the mornings after before and got much amusement from doing so. "Where's Peter? Peter Pettigrew?"

"Ah Wormtail, that little rogue," a voice came from the shadows. Dumbledore watched as a dark haired youth stepped out into the streetlight, his hair messy and his glasses askewed. He held himself as if he was proud to be stumbling out of a tavern late at night, following his friend the drunkard. "We had a little adventure tonight, didn't we Wormy?"

And with that, he pulled a shivering Peter from behind his back, who looked like he had witnessed some unspeakable things. "_Knowing James, he probably did,"_ Dumbledore thought.

Peter swallowed. "Sure did, Prongs," he replied shakily, looking at the ground.

"What did you do to Peter, James?" Dumbledore inquired, looking worried.

"That's CAPTAIN James to you, good sir," James slurred, helping Sirius to his unsteady feet and clapping him on the back. "And, technically, it was Padfoot's fault."

Sirius wolf-whistled. "My, my, now how did that go again, Capt'n?" He leaned unsteadily on both James and Peter's shoulders, his face flushed a deep red.

"Well, if I remember correctly Padfoot, it began when you wagered a friendly game of Go Fish with that young boy," James said, letting Sirius dangle from him limply as he let Peter take a break from holding his drunk body.

"Ah yes, I wagered that if I bet him, he would buy me butterbeer for the night," Sirius slurred, gazing glassily into the distance. "However there was a... problem with my...little wager...I bet that if I lost, I would give fifty Galleons to the boy."

James doubled over, laughing. "Only you weren't playing Go Fish, were you? You were playing marbles, you twat. You were too locked and out of it to even realise what you were betting on."

Sirius grinned crookedly. "Oh yes and when I refused to pay up, the little goblin proceeded to rob me of my clothes and kidnap Wormy."

James gave Dumbledore a wink. "And enter Captain James, the hero of this troublesome tale. This dashing hero saved Wormy from the drug den above this tavern, which actually happens to be run by the adorable midget who robbed Sirius." James then bowed and said, "No need for applause, my good friends."

"Hold on," Sirius croaked, looking dazed and confused. "That little boy was a midget?"

"Yeah, he goes by the amusing name of Mundungus..."

"Enough!" Dumbledore interrupted, causing James to look startled, while Sirius just hung from his shoulder, aiming insults at a curled up Peter. "T'would like to speak to James _alone_. Peter, could you take Sirius somewhere else for now?"

Peter just nodded, not able or unwilling to speak. He half-heaved, half-dragged a muttering Sirius through the streets. The last thing Dumbledore heard was a cry of "The power of our Lord is within us! Lordy Holy Moly!"

James gazed after Sirius and with one swift motion, his posture straightened and his eyes sharpened. His hair remained messy, as it always was, but he fixed his glasses as he strolled over to where Dumbledore stood.

Dumbledore took one look at James and held out his hand. "Lemon drop?" he asked, while James looked confused.

"NO, I do not want a lemon drop, Dumbledore," James said, looking at Dumbledore as if he were mental. "Why are you here anyway?"

"Oh y'know, to get some spare knitting needles, that sort of thing." He popped a lemon drop into his mouth and looked accusingly at James. "I have a better question James; you don't smell of butterbeer and you aren't acting as if you are drunk..."

Looking away, James put his hand through his hair, ruffling it in an extremely messy fashion. "Look, just drop it, okay. It helps me fit in with the crew better..."

Dumbledore smiled warmly. "M'dear boy; they will find out eventually. Y'shouldn't live in darkness your whole life."

James scowled. "I've said it before and I'll say it again; I'm not telling them." He looked down. "I know I'm selfish, but it's for the best."

Sighing, Dumbledore looked exasperated as James began to walk away. "Look James, why don't you just settle down with some girl; any girl, start a family and just leave this life behind?"

James stopped half-way along the street Sirius and Peter left not long ago. "No girl I've met burns bright enough. I think I'll just stick to adventures, Dumbledore." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Besides, I like my life on the Marauder."

"James?"

James looked at Dumbledore one last time for a very long time. "Would you stay in Holyhead for one more day? It will benefit you greatly."

"I will always trust your "judgement", Dumbledore." And with a swift step, the handsome, broken man was gone into the darkness.

***cailin= girl (There was no fadas, sorry! My computer is crap!)**

**R&R!**

**Ashxx**


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